Seattle girl gives classmates sweet braille Valentines

Amelia, an 8-year-old blind girl from Seattle, gave her classmates individualized Valentines written in braille this holiday. Some of the cards said things such as “I think you’re really smart” and “You’re an awesome artist,” said Amelia’s mother Gail. The messages were put on pink cards that had “love” spelled alphabetically, and in Braille. They were made with a Perkins Brailler, which is also known as “a braille typewriter”.

Gail’s husband Mike posted a photo of the Valentines online on Thursdays, after which they’ve gone viral.

Gail said it’s been wonderful to see all the overwhelming support but she wants to emphasize that “Amelia is a typical, awesome girl who just happens to be blind.”

Amelia also plays the violin, takes swimming lessons, and is learning to ride a unicycle.

“She survived eye cancer as an infant, lost her sight, but she’s just like everyone else,” Gail said. “It’s funny because people have such low expectations for her. They’re surprised she can talk and do all these things, but it’s not like blind people can’t do them. They just do them in a different way.”

Amelia’s gift to her classmates has been shared many times and is helping create conversations about children who are blind.

“If anything, I hope her story helps promote understanding and acceptance of blind children,” Gail said. “I think sighted people don’t get glimpses into blind people’s world very often, so it’s really cool this is creating conversations about blindness and braille and dispelling a lot of misconceptions.”